Chapter 119 Chapter 119 "Nightmare."
Jiu Zhao did not leave as promised.
The more vague Lan Qi was, the weirder things seemed to her.
Did he go through so much time and effort just to give her a chance to be with the Mother Goddess?
Not to mention that they had been enemies for 4,500 years. Even if there was no hatred or grudge, Lan Qi had been a demon for a long time. The demons were always cold-blooded and cunning. This was the consensus reached among every immortal in the Three Pure Ones - it was better to hope that the sun would rise from the west one day than to hope that the demons would show goodwill.
Pretending nothing happened, Jiu Zhao lived his life as usual.
It wasn't until four days later that I woke up in the morning and met Zhu Yan's hesitant eyes as he lay beside me.
"Zhao Niang."
He stood up first, grabbed the clothes scattered beside the bed and put them on Jiu Zhao. "Are you missing Her Majesty the Divine Queen?"
When Jiu Zhao heard the words "Her Majesty the Goddess", his eyebrows jumped.
"What's wrong?"
She suppressed her discomfort and asked calmly.
"Last night, I heard you calling out to the Mother Goddess all night long."
From the beginning of the conversation, Zhu Yan's voice was a little hesitant. The tenderness and pity in his eyes, and the careful care he took for his lover's pain were clearly visible - Jiu Zhao fell silent for a moment, and suddenly wanted to smile bitterly.
Because she still didn't dream.
Furthermore, after parting with Lan Qi a few days ago, she calmed down and thought: Dreaming is not a good thing for a deity. If an obsessive dream occurs when a demon exists, it will undoubtedly become the most nourishing nutrient, accelerating the growth of the demon.
"Perhaps it's because the Mother Goddess's death anniversary is approaching."
Forcing himself to suppress his gloomy feelings, Jiu Zhao took Zhu Yan's fingers in his palm and squeezed them, trying his best to soothe his worries. "By the way, would you like to accompany me to Zhuiyuan Temple to burn some incense? I believe the Mother Goddess would also like to meet her daughter's future husband."
Worshiping elders is a courtesy.
Zhu Yan readily agreed.
After washing up, they went hand in hand to the Zhuiyuan Hall where tablets and statues of gods and queens of all generations were placed.
Stepping into the spacious hall filled with the scent of sandalwood, Jiu Zhao saw the lingering Lan Qi in front of the altar again.
He took three incense sticks from the immortal official serving beside him, and when he saw the two of them coming, his face was full of expectation.
"Your Highness, the Divine Princess, this is the Immortal Lord Zhu Yan." After greeting him with a smile, he slowly approached and placed the incense in front of Jiu Zhao's eyes. "Are you two here to pay homage to the Divine Queen? There will be a distinction between close and distant relatives, and there will be an order of precedence. Please go first, you two."
As the saying goes, don't hit someone who smiles at you.
The deity tablets were solemn and the hall was majestic. Jiu Zhao couldn't ask him what he wanted to do as he did when they were alone.
She nodded modestly, said "Thank you, Master Ye", and was about to take the incense from Lan Qi.
However.
As they moved, she suddenly felt the other person's fingertips rubbing across her palm very quickly.
The body's reaction is almost faster than consciousness.
Her forearm muscles tensed instantly.
Was it intentional or accidental?
She raised her eyes and looked at Lan Qi, but he seemed nonchalant: "Then I will wait outside the hall first. Your Highness, please do as you please."
The black robe draped over the smooth jade tiles, making a rustling sound like clothes rubbing against each other.
As he took a step, he put his hands behind his back and sighed, seemingly unintentionally, "The Queen of Gods is kind and gentle, a role model for the Three Realms—but it's a pity that even with all the rare treasures and the meticulous craftsmanship of skilled artisans, this statue can't even remotely capture a fraction of her vivid aura."
After saying that, he brushed Jiu Zhao's shoulder and left without any regrets.
The numbness from the contact of skin still lingered in his palm, and Jiu Zhao's gaze was subconsciously drawn to Lan Qi's receding figure.
The flickering light in her eyes revealed her inner uncertainty.
The attention was completely taken away by another person.
As a result, she also missed the thoughtful look in Zhu Yan's eyes who was standing beside her and had never spoken a word.
…
Jiu Zhao was full of worries and did not feel relieved even after burning incense to the Queen Goddess.
She remained silent all the way out of Zhuiyuan Hall.
The two of them returned to Lihentian together. Zhu Yan did not enter the Changle life plate to nourish his soul as usual.
He stood alone a few feet away from Jiu Zhao, watching her take off the simple robe she wore for the memorial service in front of the mirror.
After a while, he asked softly, "Zhao Niang, are you hiding something from me?"
Jiu Zhao paused as she was untying the belt.
She had hidden so many things from Zhu Yan that she didn't know where to start.
Fortunately, Zhu Yan didn't mean to ask her to explain everything again.
He paused for a few moments between words, as if thinking about how to organize his words so that the subsequent conversation could proceed smoothly.
"When I was burning incense just now, I always felt that the atmosphere between you and Ye Zun was not right."
It turned out to be this one.
Fortunately it was this one.
Since it didn't involve any secrets that couldn't be revealed, Jiu Zhao relaxed his fingertips and breathed a sigh of relief.
She then realized that Zhu Yan had a sharp mind. If she thought about it alone, it would be difficult to figure out the reason why Lan Qi led her into the dream for no reason. She might as well tell him and discuss it with him. Maybe she would find a sudden enlightenment.
"Last time, I followed your advice and made an appointment with Lan Qi to meet at Lingquan Palace to avoid being seen.
"While healing my wounds, I inexplicably fell into a dream. Not only did I become Lan Qi in the dream, but I also saw the Mother Goddess before her death—"
Jiu Zhao briefly recounted what had happened, and then told Zhu Yan about her questioning of Lan Qi and Lan Qi's attitude of beating around the bush and speaking in riddles.
"From what I understand, Burning Sea does have a nightmare technique that can lure others into dreams—
"However, this technique has too many limitations. It is fundamentally different from the Heart Demon Illusion and other psychedelic techniques. It can only work between the caster and the person being cast. Moreover, the dream created must be real and cannot be fabricated or forcibly altered.
"It can drag the victim into a dreamland from which they will never wake up, but the price is that the caster must also be trapped within it, consuming demonic energy to maintain the spell. Otherwise, if the caster wakes up, the victim will immediately break free from the prison. In actual combat, this nightmare technique is completely meaningless, so almost no demon is willing to patiently practice it. I have only seen related descriptions in the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan's library.
"Zhao Niang, if you need it, I will bring you the book next time."
After hearing Zhu Yan's answer, Jiu Zhao felt a little relieved.
Lan Qi has many ways to harm her, and he would never choose to exchange her life for hers.
Once the only danger is eliminated, Lan Qi's purpose becomes even more confusing.
The obsession with the desire to see the Mother Goddess would indeed aggravate her inner demons, but how could Lan Qi possibly know that she had developed inner demons?
Apart from the deceased Wu Zhu, she had only told Father God about this matter.
What the Father God revealed to Lan Qi was simply a fairy tale.
After discussing it with Zhu Yan several times, the number of confused people increased from one to two.
After talking too much, Jiu Zhao frowned and felt irritated.
Seeing her displeased expression, Zhu Yan decided to do the opposite and proposed another scenario: "Zhao Niang, I won't repeat my advice to stay away from Ye Zun... I've also experienced the pain of losing my mother, and I know that even in a dream, being able to spend a brief moment with her is a great comfort to us. If you go looking for him again, you must be careful in everything you do. On the other hand, I think Ye Zun is right about one thing."
It's rare for a god to recognize the demons.
Jiu Zhao felt less restless and looked at him intently to show that he was listening attentively.
"Dreams are also part of memory, and memory resides deep within the sea of consciousness, for immortals and demons alike.
"If he wants to lead you, Zhao Niang, into a dream, he must remove his body's defenses and actively accept your spiritual consciousness.
"The immortal demon's mental defenses are far more fragile than his physical body. If you lose control, break through the dream and delve into the sea of consciousness, using your immortal consciousness to attack his spiritual platform and retrieve other memories, then he will face the possibility of his secrets being leaked, or his spiritual platform being damaged, causing serious injury.
"However, even the God of War Fuxu couldn't get away with Ye Zun. I'm afraid his current strength is already comparable to that of a Supreme God."
While listening to Zhu Yan's analysis, Jiu Zhao had new considerations.
Except for certain races, all beings, whether immortals or demons, are mainly pursuing power gains.
Few people focus on tempering their spiritual will.
Therefore, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to break free from the nightmare spell and delve into the sea of consciousness - but they were sealed in the heart of the Phoenix Tree, dispersing their spiritual consciousness day by day, and enduring the burning of the Yuanchu Fire for forty-nine years. Jiu Zhao asked himself if his control over the power of spiritual consciousness had already been qualitatively improved.
At the beginning, Wu Zhu had a blood bond with her and had not noticed her little movements.
So, facing Lan Qi, do I have the strength to fight against him?
The demons are cunning and treacherous. Since they cannot pry the truth out of Lan Qi's mouth, perhaps this is another way to achieve their goal.
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